Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)

Today's Racing :

Bravura on his way to Durban

MICHAEL CLOWER
Unbeaten Cape Derby winner Bravura leaves for Durban today with Joey Ramsden searching the programmes for a suitable preliminary en route to what he hopes will be victory in the R3,5million Vodacom Durban July on July 31.
Ramsden said: “Bravura’s small problem went on and on, and it meant that he missed three weeks work. Now he is fine again and 100% sound, and my biggest problem is finding a suitable prep race for him.” Bravura has drifted from 6-1 to 8-1 with Betting World, largely because of his setback, but in fact his prospects have been given a boost by Noordhoek Flyer’s runaway win in the KRA Guineas. It’s not so much that Bravura outstayed him in the Cape Derby but because the dual Guineas winner has been reassessed since the KRA Guineas win and, assuming Bravura does not pick up a penalty in the meantime, he is likely to receive a kilo from his old rival on July 31. Ramsden wasted no time in getting on the score sheet at Kenilworth on Saturday with Karis Teetan leading from pillar to post on Malcolm Caine’s Makes Me Wonder in the maiden juvenile but it was Vaughan Marshall who stole the show. Marshall went home with a treble, including both Grade 3 features, and a boot load of trophies. The Milnerton trainer had luck on his side in the Betting World Cape Of Good Hope Nursery. MJ Byleveld led throughout on Rhoan Gardiner’s Brilliant Cut but Karl Neisius brought Jack Hobbs with a powerful surge only to have to check inside the final furlong. Neisius got his mount going again and was only a rapidly-dwindling neck behind the Kabool colt at the line.
The head-on that was shown to the public seemed to suggest that Jack Hobbs’ interference had been caused by the winner drifting left and most punters assumed that the race review, coupled with an objection lodged by Neisius, would be sure to result in the placings being reversed.But the stewards, after considering the matter for quite some time, decided otherwise. Ernie Rodrigues, chairman of the stipendiary stewards, explained: “Karl went for a gap at a slight angle and the gap wasn’t quite big enough. Had it been wider, upholding the objection would have been a formality.” Jack Hobbs’ trainer Dean Kannemeyer and Neisius were unconvinced, with the latter saying: “The winner was drifting, and the gap was getting narrower as I got there. I thought I would have got the race.” But there were no hard luck stories involved in Madrisa’s gutsy all-the-way win in the Betting World Kenilworth Fillies Nursery. The Gary Player-bred filly has now won four in a row and Craig Du Plooy was understandably full of praise for his mount, saying: “She is really good and, whenever any of the others tried to come at her, she quickened away from them.” Amazingly, Marshall picked up both of them for only R20 000 each. He bought Madrisa at a braai, and almost by chance, before passing her on to Bruce Finlayson, Pat Freestone, Aubrey Jacobs and Tony Rhodes. Brilliant Cut was bought in rather more conventional circumstances at last year’s Vintage Sale. Marshall said: “I might take them to Scottsville on May 29 [for the Allan Robertson and Gold Reef Medallion] and I will make a decision during the week.” He initiated his treble when Marco Latorre made all in the fourth on Commodity Share, one of eight horses that Marshall trains for Markus Jooste.

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